san francisco bookstores

What does the future look like for the Bay Area's independent bookstores? Although San Francisco has more independent bookstores than almost anywhere in the US, many shops are struggling to survive. One such place is the Mission District's Borderlands Books, which will close this month unless an innovative sponsorship plan can save it. Host David Onek talks with the owner of Borderlands and other Bay Area booksellers about what it takes to stay open in the face of Amazon, rising rent, minimum wage hikes, and more.

One of Caifornia’s loveliest independent bookstores is The Great Overland Book Company, located in the Inner Sunset. Owner Beau Beausoleil not only runs the bookstore, but also runs the Al-Mutanabbi Street Coalition--a community of writers and artists that produce a collection of work to raise awareness about in support and commemoration of a major bombing on the street in Iraq in 2007.